re: If Archie ever had an offensive line to speak of,

I saw him play at the end of his career when I was a really little kid. My father and grandfather told me that he would have been great if he had had a decent team and that the 78 and 79 offenses were incredible. I always believed them.

However . . .

As time goes by, I tend to agree with the idea that he was overhyped by a Saints fanbase who had nothing else to cling to. I think he was pretty good. He played in the 1978 or 79 Pro Bowl and everyone said he was incredible. But, I think that the truth is that he was radically inconsistent with flashes of brilliance and a lot of athleticism. Overall, he probably would not have been great on any team.

But, that brings up another question: How many great QBs were there in the 1970's? You have Bradshaw, Stabler, Plunkett, Staubach, Ken Anderson, Dan Fouts, and ??? We don't really see great QB play being to emerge until the 80s and we can thank Bill Walsh for that. Dan Marino as well. Perhaps the USFL. QB stats in the 1970s were not that great overall.